CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns’ coaching staff was criticized for not using running back Nick Chubb sooner in last Sunday’s 43-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans at FirstEnergy Stadium, but they answered those questions about his usage in the first half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey Monday night.
Chubb had an integral role in the offense and capped off a strong first-half effort under the prime time lights of Monday Night Football with a 19-yard touchdown run against the Jets, which gave the Browns a 13-point lead at the time.
The Browns took a 16-3 lead over the Jets into the halftime break.
Chubb took the handoff from quarterback Baker Mayfield on first-and-10 from the New York 19-yard line, and after waiting for the hole to develop, he powered past seven Jets defenders and maintained his balance long enough, despite being tripped up inside the five, to cross the goal line for the touchdown, his first scoring run of the season.
Chubb finished the first half with 41 yards and the one touchdown on 10 carries and caught two passes for 19 yards.
Through the first half at the Jets and the game against the Titans, Chubb rushed for 116 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries, an average of 4.3 yards per attempt.
Chubb finished the 2018 season, one in which he saw limited time in the first seven games, with 996 yards and eight touchdowns on 192 carries. Chubb had 11 20-yard runs, four 40-yard bursts and 47 first-down conversions.
A second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of the University of Georgia, Chubb rushed for 788 of his 996 yards and five of his eight touchdowns on 140 carries under the direction of coach Freddie Kitchens, the interim offensive coordinator for the second half of the 2018 season.
After the changes in the coaching staff, Chubb averaged 5.63 yards per carry and became a contributing player in the passing game as well.